Israeli ministers asked to urgently approve $325 million defense transfer over WhatsApp
The funds would come from cuts to the five-year plan for Arab society. The move comes amid an escalating dispute between the Finance and Defense ministries over military spending and a canceled Apache helicopter deal.
Israeli government ministers have been asked to approve the transfer of NIS 1 billion ($325M) to the defense budget via WhatsApp messages, citing “urgent defense procurement that cannot be delayed.” Ministers were told that defense officials had classified the matter as an urgent security need requiring immediate action. The funds are to come from cuts to the five-year plan for Arab society for 2027-2029, meaning the reductions will extend beyond the upcoming budget year.
The cuts to the three-year portion of the plan will increase each year, amounting to NIS 169 million in 2027, NIS 342 million in 2028 and at least NIS 453 million in 2029.
Next week, the Joint Committee on the Defense Budget is expected to approve the transfer of NIS 17.5 billion ($5.7B) to the defense establishment, following prior approval by the Finance Committee. Details of how the funds will be allocated are due to be presented to the Defense Budget Committee.
The transfer is part of a broader round of cuts to civilian budgets, expected to total NIS 3 billion, in response to demands from the defense establishment. It comes amid an unprecedented and increasingly bitter dispute between the Finance and Defense ministries, which has escalated in recent days following the cancellation of a planned $1 billion deal to purchase 12 Apache attack helicopters from U.S. defense giant Boeing for the Israeli Air Force.
The deal collapsed in the middle of last week amid a dispute over the source of funding for one-third of its cost, or $288 million.
Some estimates suggest the latest budget cuts were intended to salvage the helicopter deal. Defense officials, however, dismissed that interpretation as “spin,” arguing that the move is unrelated to the procurement plan and blaming the Finance Ministry for derailing the deal.
